Um, Hello?


White chocolate olive oil cream, red wine poached and fresh apples, cinnamon arlettes, celery, and toasted oat ice cream


Hello, hello?

*taps microphone

Is this thing on?

*mic feedback

Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm pretty sure you're glad to know I haven't died or anything, right? Things were getting a little crazy for me and I was second guessing my career choice. People always tell you to do what you love, follow your passion, but they don't tell you about the rest of it.

Please bear with me as I try to get all of the cobwebs out of this thing and see what I have to work with.

2013 - Now.

A lot has happened in 5 years. I've changed jobs, and my dessert plating style has changed a lot. Currently, I'm sitting on my couch, it's raining outside and from the 10th floor, it seems the world has disappeared. The fog insulates me as I hear the raindrops, the slosh of traffic driving through soaked streets, the keys on my MacBook click and pause between thoughts, and oddly, my cat licking her paws clean. There's a lot to reflect on, but most of it can be glossed over.

Did you know that MacBooks-well, at least this older model-don't use autocorrect like a phone? That I have to capitalize and add punctuation as I type?

Highlights? After that last post, I changed jobs to go work for an exclusive club. The best thing about my time there was making dessert for President Barack Obama. I heard his voice as they passed through the kitchen on their way out, and of course I froze and didn't ask for a photo, because, I'm so frigging cool, right?

After that I left for North Pond restaurant, a Michelin starred establishment. I worked there briefly before quitting. It was a short, but interesting ride.

And here I am. Sitting on the couch, trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my working life. Because I don't want to work 70 hours a week, 14 hours a day as a one woman team anymore. I don't want anyone exploiting my labor anymore. Because I want to make great desserts and have a team of people to work with, to share my knowledge and learn from while having a better quality of life.

I'm cooking so much at home these days. I'm experimenting with sourdough baking. I'm enjoying going to the farmers markets and cooking what I crave these days.

I'm trying to get back to myself during this downtime. To make food for food's sake instead of making money for people who do less work and feed that elite 1% because they can afford it.

I'm very fortunate that I've lived a life accumulating skills in a world to me I never expected. I did the office jobs, the retail jobs, the boring, expected-of-you jobs. But then I went to pastry school and started working in restaurants and absorbed everything I could from everyone I worked with. And now I can basically cook almost anything I want to. It's intrinsic for me.

Although I created this blog to chronicle my journey through my life as a pasty cook and chef, I think I'll start posting the meals I cook and what I learn about bread making. I'll try to post recipes, but don't get upset that they're not exactly measured. I don't measure as I cook, but I'll give you an estimate, some direction, and faith that you can figure it out as you go.

Thanks for reading.

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